Wellington expresses concern over drinking water study that urges expanded protection of wellheads

Wellington County officials are expressing concern about possible impacts of a major technical study into protecting Guelph’s drinking water supply.

The townships of Puslinch and Guelph/Eramosa and the Town of Erin “all have considerable area and employment land contained within” the wellhead protection area that has been identified to ensure Guelph has an adequate quantity of water into the future, says a county news release.

“This has been and continues to be a concern for the county and the affected member municipalities,” the release says.

The Guelph/Eramosa Tier 3 Water Budget and Local Area Risk Assessment study began in 2008, and results were released earlier this month.

Wellington County and affected townships didn’t get involved in the Tier 3 study until 2014. That’s when the Grand River Conservation Authority and the City of Guelph informed the county that the wellhead protection area, as it relates to quantity of water supply, would likely extend past the city’s boundaries.

Because of their later involvement, the county and its municipalities didn’t participate on the project team, but instead acted as municipal peer reviewers, Wellington County Warden Dennis Lever said in the release.

“We are optimistic about the next phase of the Tier 3 project as we look forward to participating fully on the project team for the Risk Management Measures Evaluation Project and policy development,” Lever said.

“However, the county and its affected member municipalities have ongoing concerns due to the significant size of the provincially approved wellhead protection areas,” he said. “We ask that the government of Ontario and the Lake Erie Source Protection Region continue to work with our municipalities to address these concerns during the next phase of the project.”

The Tier 3 study is a detailed scientific study aimed at evaluating a municipal drinking water system’s ability to meet current and future water quantity demands. This is a requirement under Ontario’s Clean Water Act of 2006.

The results of the Tier 3 study were summarized in a news release issued by Grand River Conservation Authority officials on behalf of the Grand River Source Protection Authority. Among other things, it said the water quantity protection areas established through the Tier 3 study encompass the City of Guelph, significant portions of the townships of Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch and the Town of Erin, and smaller portions of the Region of Halton and the Region of Waterloo.

The findings of the Tier 3 study signal the need to carefully examine all existing and new water takings within the water quantity protection areas in order to evaluate their contribution to water quantity stress, the GRCA release said.

In addition, the findings highlight the need to identify and assess activities that reduce groundwater recharge within the water quantity protection areas.

“The next step will be to evaluate the risks to identify water takings that have the greatest impact on municipal supplies and explore effective risk management measures,” source protection program manager Martin Keller said in the release.

“The Lake Erie Source Protection Region looks forward to working closely with its municipal partners in the next phase of the Tier 3 project, in order to develop water quantity policies that protect source water and provide sustainable groundwater management solutions that benefit everyone,” Keller said.

The Tier 3 study, whose initial focus was on the Guelph’s municipal drinking water system, has been led by the Grand River Source Protection Authority in collaboration with the City of Guelph, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

As the study progressed, it became clear that the study area would expand beyond the boundaries of the City of Guelph, the release said.

The source protection program was established under the Clean WaterAct to protect both the quality and the quantity of existing and proposed municipal drinking water sources, the release said. The water quality components of the Grand River Source Protection Plan have been in effect since July 1, 2016.

Source water protection is about protecting drinking water resources such as lakes, rivers and groundwater from contamination or overuse, the release said.

Wellington expresses concern over drinking water study that urges expanded protection of wellheads

Wellington County officials are expressing concern about possible impacts of a major technical study into protecting Guelph’s drinking water supply.

The townships of Puslinch and Guelph/Eramosa and the Town of Erin “all have considerable area and employment land contained within” the wellhead protection area that has been identified to ensure Guelph has an adequate quantity of water into the future, says a county news release.

“This has been and continues to be a concern for the county and the affected member municipalities,” the release says.

The Guelph/Eramosa Tier 3 Water Budget and Local Area Risk Assessment study began in 2008, and results were released earlier this month.

Wellington County and affected townships didn’t get involved in the Tier 3 study until 2014. That’s when the Grand River Conservation Authority and the City of Guelph informed the county that the wellhead protection area, as it relates to quantity of water supply, would likely extend past the city’s boundaries.

Because of their later involvement, the county and its municipalities didn’t participate on the project team, but instead acted as municipal peer reviewers, Wellington County Warden Dennis Lever said in the release.

“We are optimistic about the next phase of the Tier 3 project as we look forward to participating fully on the project team for the Risk Management Measures Evaluation Project and policy development,” Lever said.

“However, the county and its affected member municipalities have ongoing concerns due to the significant size of the provincially approved wellhead protection areas,” he said. “We ask that the government of Ontario and the Lake Erie Source Protection Region continue to work with our municipalities to address these concerns during the next phase of the project.”

The Tier 3 study is a detailed scientific study aimed at evaluating a municipal drinking water system’s ability to meet current and future water quantity demands. This is a requirement under Ontario’s Clean Water Act of 2006.

The results of the Tier 3 study were summarized in a news release issued by Grand River Conservation Authority officials on behalf of the Grand River Source Protection Authority. Among other things, it said the water quantity protection areas established through the Tier 3 study encompass the City of Guelph, significant portions of the townships of Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch and the Town of Erin, and smaller portions of the Region of Halton and the Region of Waterloo.

The findings of the Tier 3 study signal the need to carefully examine all existing and new water takings within the water quantity protection areas in order to evaluate their contribution to water quantity stress, the GRCA release said.

In addition, the findings highlight the need to identify and assess activities that reduce groundwater recharge within the water quantity protection areas.

“The next step will be to evaluate the risks to identify water takings that have the greatest impact on municipal supplies and explore effective risk management measures,” source protection program manager Martin Keller said in the release.

“The Lake Erie Source Protection Region looks forward to working closely with its municipal partners in the next phase of the Tier 3 project, in order to develop water quantity policies that protect source water and provide sustainable groundwater management solutions that benefit everyone,” Keller said.

The Tier 3 study, whose initial focus was on the Guelph’s municipal drinking water system, has been led by the Grand River Source Protection Authority in collaboration with the City of Guelph, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

As the study progressed, it became clear that the study area would expand beyond the boundaries of the City of Guelph, the release said.

The source protection program was established under the Clean WaterAct to protect both the quality and the quantity of existing and proposed municipal drinking water sources, the release said. The water quality components of the Grand River Source Protection Plan have been in effect since July 1, 2016.

Source water protection is about protecting drinking water resources such as lakes, rivers and groundwater from contamination or overuse, the release said.

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Wellington expresses concern over drinking water study that urges expanded protection of wellheads

Wellington County officials are expressing concern about possible impacts of a major technical study into protecting Guelph’s drinking water supply.

The townships of Puslinch and Guelph/Eramosa and the Town of Erin “all have considerable area and employment land contained within” the wellhead protection area that has been identified to ensure Guelph has an adequate quantity of water into the future, says a county news release.

“This has been and continues to be a concern for the county and the affected member municipalities,” the release says.

The Guelph/Eramosa Tier 3 Water Budget and Local Area Risk Assessment study began in 2008, and results were released earlier this month.

Wellington County and affected townships didn’t get involved in the Tier 3 study until 2014. That’s when the Grand River Conservation Authority and the City of Guelph informed the county that the wellhead protection area, as it relates to quantity of water supply, would likely extend past the city’s boundaries.

Because of their later involvement, the county and its municipalities didn’t participate on the project team, but instead acted as municipal peer reviewers, Wellington County Warden Dennis Lever said in the release.

“We are optimistic about the next phase of the Tier 3 project as we look forward to participating fully on the project team for the Risk Management Measures Evaluation Project and policy development,” Lever said.

“However, the county and its affected member municipalities have ongoing concerns due to the significant size of the provincially approved wellhead protection areas,” he said. “We ask that the government of Ontario and the Lake Erie Source Protection Region continue to work with our municipalities to address these concerns during the next phase of the project.”

The Tier 3 study is a detailed scientific study aimed at evaluating a municipal drinking water system’s ability to meet current and future water quantity demands. This is a requirement under Ontario’s Clean Water Act of 2006.

The results of the Tier 3 study were summarized in a news release issued by Grand River Conservation Authority officials on behalf of the Grand River Source Protection Authority. Among other things, it said the water quantity protection areas established through the Tier 3 study encompass the City of Guelph, significant portions of the townships of Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch and the Town of Erin, and smaller portions of the Region of Halton and the Region of Waterloo.

The findings of the Tier 3 study signal the need to carefully examine all existing and new water takings within the water quantity protection areas in order to evaluate their contribution to water quantity stress, the GRCA release said.

In addition, the findings highlight the need to identify and assess activities that reduce groundwater recharge within the water quantity protection areas.

“The next step will be to evaluate the risks to identify water takings that have the greatest impact on municipal supplies and explore effective risk management measures,” source protection program manager Martin Keller said in the release.

“The Lake Erie Source Protection Region looks forward to working closely with its municipal partners in the next phase of the Tier 3 project, in order to develop water quantity policies that protect source water and provide sustainable groundwater management solutions that benefit everyone,” Keller said.

The Tier 3 study, whose initial focus was on the Guelph’s municipal drinking water system, has been led by the Grand River Source Protection Authority in collaboration with the City of Guelph, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

As the study progressed, it became clear that the study area would expand beyond the boundaries of the City of Guelph, the release said.

The source protection program was established under the Clean WaterAct to protect both the quality and the quantity of existing and proposed municipal drinking water sources, the release said. The water quality components of the Grand River Source Protection Plan have been in effect since July 1, 2016.

Source water protection is about protecting drinking water resources such as lakes, rivers and groundwater from contamination or overuse, the release said.